One More to Go...

I've been neglecting this blog for the last couple of months, but here's the update. I had my 4th and 5th appointments and now I only have one more to go. I'm having my last appointment with Dr Clark on July 5th, and then I go straight over to Dr Berger to have my final consult and schedule my surgery. I have chosen the Duodenal Switch procedure and I am very happy that Dr Berger is able to accomodate that.

I'm also down 15 lbs from my highest weight (weighed the day I started the program on January 6th). I had some "before" pictures taken and now all I need to do is get some "before" measurements. I'm not going to go crazy measuring everything, but I'm thinking waist, hips, upper arms, and thighs.

I'm currently researching my vitamins, as the DS surgery has a heavier protein and vitamin supplement requirement than the standard RNY. They make special DS vitamins but those are pretty pricey. Still, I might end up spending just as much if I try to buy all the vitamins in "normal person" amounts. I'd have to take a crazy number of them, so three DS vites a day might be more economical in the long run. We'll see.

I'm also planning on stocking up on a bunch of protein shake samples. I've heard that sometimes, even if you really liked your shake before surgery, you can end up hating it. So I want to have a variety although I hope I can keep up with my current shake as it's pretty cheap and I can get it at Sam's Club.

Surgery seemed so far away, and now that I'm getting close it seems there are still mountains of things to take care of first. I got my packet of paperwork to fill out for my medical leave at work. I've also been "nesting" a lot lately, by cleaning our house and purging lots of items. I feel the need to make things as simple as possible. And I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to start throwing out fat clothes. I have a ton of clothes right now, some that fit and most that will be my "transition" clothes for while I lose weight (I'm basically covered between the sizes of 28 down to 18, then I have to go shopping). The closets are busting... it's really getting out of hand. I'm only saving one pair of fat pants so I can take that "stand in one leg of the pants" photo after my weight loss is done. Then I'm going to have a party where I burn the fat pants!

Halfway

On the 12th I had the 3rd of my 6 appointments with the bariatrician. I'm down another 2 lbs. Not much else to say, don't feel like writing. I've been experimenting with flavors in food, like chili-lime shrimp and curry turkey meatballs. Trying to make things as flavorful as possible so I will be satisfied with less.

Strength in Weakness

So recently I haven't been feeling well. Feels like some sort of flu bug. While wallowing in my self pity, I had a weak moment and purchased a bottle of Diet Coke. This is after over a month of being soda free. Well, I opened it, took a swig and the first thing in my head was "OMG YUCK! I can't believe I used to drink this crap!" Seriously, I couldn't take another sip and ended up giving the bottle to my husband. So I feel very comforted now, knowing that I don't even like the taste of it anymore. My moment of weakness has completely obliterated my cravings for Diet Coke. I feel stronger than ever now in my ability to stay off soda forever.

As my husband said: "You're now officially de-toxed."

Second Bariatrician Visit

I had my second visit with the bariatrician today. We went over my lab work and I am highly deficient in Vitamin D (normal for obese people), but my hemoglobin count was WAY low. So low in fact that it would prevent surgery. Luckily, this is most likely due to my excessively long and heavy period (have been bleeding pretty much constantly since Thanksgiving 2010). I'm on birth control now to get my cycle under control and the Dr wants me to take iron supplements. Hopefully over the next 8 weeks the extra iron + lack of bleeding will bring me back up to normal levels.

It is also time to schedule my psych eval. I'm a little nervous but I am sure it won't be a major deal. My next appointment with the bariatrician has been scheduled and I will be taking a few classes on the same day.

I'm still Diet Coke free. The Dr said that there have been studies that proove that diet sodas cause craving of "bad" foods (like fast food and sugar). I'd never have believed it before, but now that I've been off Diet Coke for a month, I totally buy it.